Communication networks have migrated from using specialized networking equipment executing on dedicated hardware, like routers, firewalls, and gateways, to software defined networks (SDNs) executing as virtualized network functions (VNF) in a cloud infrastructure. To provide a service, a set of VNFs may be instantiated on the general purpose hardware. Each VNF may require one or more virtual machines (VMs) to be instantiated. In turn, VMs may require various resources, such as memory, virtual computer processing units (vCPUs), and network interfaces or network interface cards (NICs). Determining how to assign these resources among VMs in an efficient manner may be unbearably complex.
This disclosure is directed to solving one or more of the problems in the existing technology. A service chain in LTE/LTE-A networks may involve a combination of hybrid physical network functions (PNF)/VNF based network application functions that are interconnected together via multiple control plane interfaces to form a service based session construct prior to delivering service specific user data. The hybrid PNF/VNF network functions and their distinctive network management systems, as well as their deployment in a vertically pooled resource configuration, presents a complex network architecture that needs to be managed effectively.